A Fiasco of a School Trip
by Summer RainingStars
Summary: A few months after Ichigo regained his shinigami powers, His entire grade is whisked off to Kyoto for their school trip! Together with his friends, they do all sorts of fun! And with hollows popping up, there's plenty to keep Ichigo, Orihime, Chad and Uryuu busy! A story about how it would be if Ichigo and the gang actually went on a school trip.
1. Chapter 1:Cupcakes

**Hello everyone! It's been a while since my last fic ne?**

 **This story just came out of nowhere in my head, but I had so much fun writing it, so I hope you will have fun reading it too (:**

 **The timeline in this story happens sometime after Ichigo regained his shinigami powers, and this story is mostly humor, with a little seasoning for romance (;**

 **DISCLAIMER:** _ **I DO NOT OWN BLEACH. If I did, I'd definitely make this into an Omake chapter.**_

"There it is! The magnificent Mt. Fuji in all it's glory!"

Sure enough the bespoken sight stood towering the sky in the far distance, appearing as majestic as ever with its colossal body and snow-capped peak.

The students fished out their cameras and phones then started taking snapshots of Mt. Fuji all the while sighing in awe, as the bus they're on moved with a soft purr of the engine.

Meanwhile, Kurosaki Ichigo just sat comfortably on his spot in the opposite side of the bus, earphones tucked in both ears while most of his classmates instantly moved to the other side to watch the scenery over the window. He was sure the bus would have flipped over if all of them kept leaning on one side of the bus, but it seemed his classmates couldn't care less. After all, it's their final school trip with everyone as it's their final year in high school, and Ichigo couldn't blame them for being in high spirits for as long as a week already ever since their grade has decided to go to Kyoto for their trip.

Ever since Ichigo regained his shinigami powers back he never felt more at ease with himself. He felt once again complete and confident in protecting his friends, and he could no longer be left out in hunting hollows at night. Now that they are headed for a 3-day trip to Kyoto, he briefly wonders how the hollows will be dealt with while he and his friends are away. That Afro shinigami (Imoyama-san was his name?) was around, maybe somehow he could take them on by himself. He was slightly worried but he decided to leave it to the shinigami in-charge and just use this time to unwind and enjoy the company of friends in the tasteful atmosphere in Kyoto.

"Cupcakes! Cupcakes everyone~!" bearing a trayful of her homemade sweets, Orihime joined the students flooding one side of the bus, her treats attracting a crowd of girls with delighted eyes.

"Looks delicious Orihime-chan!" one of the girls exclaimed in appreciation while taking one cupcake daintily with her thumb and forefinger. "Did you make this yourself?"

"Yup!"

"That's wonderful! Is this chocolate?" another girl inquired as she picked one for herself.

"That's right! I mixed it with honey and carrots! Oh but don't worry, I blended them evenly in the fruit shaker and put just the right amount of beanpaste!" Orihime supplied heartily.

The girls who were at the process of biting and chewing their food stopped halfway and almost choked upon hearing her revelation. It was clear they weren't informed of Orihime's rather bizarre form of taste.

"V-very unique…. uh, _blend._ "

Ichigo watched in quiet amusement as Orihime presented her cupcakes to every student she passed by as they politely declined or reluctantly took one. She seemed rather oblivious at the huge spunk the guys had to muster to refuse her sweets. She was still smiling widely at every person she gives cupcakes to, when their eyes locked onto each other. ' _Oh man…'_

"Kurosaki-kun! Would you like some?"She called out as she made her way towards him.

Despite having his earphones in place he practically still heard Orihime calling out to him, no matter how hard he tried feigning ignorance. He removed his earphones when she reached his spot and sat beside him then held the tray of cupcakes close to his face all the while staring at him with her large, expectant eyes.

"Did you make these yourself?"

She nodded with exuberance.

He swallowed hard. _'Damn'._ He should've expected but who was he kidding. He was just stalling the inevitable. "Uh… well.." He lifted up one cupcake from the tray and eyed it for a brief moment. Chocolate brown cake with orange toppings with sorts of violet spots about it. ' _Probably beanpaste.'_ Ichigo thought. ' _Well here goes..'_ He took a single bite devouring almost half of the treat and he chewed thoughtfully, frowning at the slight pungent taste about the cream.

"How does it taste?" asked Orihime and not a hint of anxiety in her voice.

Ichigo swallowed the food in his mouth before he turned towards her, his usual scowl playing in his features. "Not... not bad." He removed the wrapper and tossed it to the trash can at the side then propped what remained of the treat into his mouth. "Idunno about the others, but its… quite good." He actually meant what he said despite his misgivings at first. _'Guess I just got lucky this time.'_ He sighed inwardly.

"Really? I'm so happy! You can have one more if you like!" At this Ichigo's eyebrow gave a nervous twitch, but Orihime didn't seem to notice at all as she continued. "It's a shame that Sado-kun and Ishida-kun are on a different bus though. I want them to have one of these too."

"You can give'em some when we reach the inn. We'll be meeting up there after all." Ichigo grinned lopsidedly at his own suggestion, thinking about those two's faces when they see the almost-too-ghastly-looking cupcakes.

"Great idea! I'll save some for them and then—"

"IIIICHIIIIGOOOO!"Asano Keigo ran towards them with arms frantically waving in the air.

"Asano-kun! Want some cupcakes?"

He instantly stopped running and skidded towards Orihime then kneeled in front of her.

"Inoue-san! You are beautiful as you are kind! Of course I want some!"

"Oi what do you want?" Ichigo groaned, exasperated.

"Th-that's right!" He jumped up nearly knocking over Orihime's tray of cupcakes. "Mizuiro is being surrounded by girls again! But-but no matter what I do Michiko-chan won't talk to me like how she would Mizuiro! You gotta help me Ichigo!" He cried out.

"No way." Ichigo folded his arms across his chest. "There's no way I'll help you hit on girls and I don't."

"Oh that's right!" Orihime blurted out, startling the two guys. "I'll go over to Kojima-kun if he wants some of my cupcakes. See you later Kurosaki-kun, Asano-kun!" She stood up and went her way.

"C'mon Ichigo! Don't you want to create some romance this school trip? And this is a good start! You know what they say, YOUTH IS THE SEASON OF LOVE!" He emphasized his point by pointing to the sky and fisting his other hand to his heart while wearing a silly grin on his face.

"What nonsense are you blabbering? I planned on relaxing this school trip and you're not changing my mind."

"Ichigoooo! I'm begging you! I-I can't let Mizuiro hog all the fun for himself! Help me out! Pleeease?" He was on his knees at the same time clutching at Ichigo's leg.

"Hey let go!" Ichigo tried to shake him off but he clung to him like a fern. "Why don't you go ask Mizuiro for his help?"

"That won't work…"

"Then figure it out yourself!"

By this time the students who were taking pictures of Mt. Fuji gradually returned to their seats and resumed their previous activities of playing bingo or cards, or just chatted idly.

"Just flash those girls one of your rare smiles for me so I could be proud to have such a friend like you!"

"Shut up! Like that'll work!" Ichigo gave him a whack on the head, effectively making him scramble up to his seat beside him.

Rubbing his throbbing head with both hands, Keigo stared at him with hurt, teary eyes. "Ichigo you're so cruel… and I though you were my friend…"

"You were asking for something ridiculous!" He shot back. "Only a complete idiot would do that!"

"I'm back Ichigo, Asano-san." Mizuiro sat beside Keigo, pulling out his cell from his breastpocket. "Asano-san you look ridiculous. Did you bother Ichigo again?"

"It's all your fault for being too friendly with Michiko-chan! You know I like her but you didn't give me a chance!" His face instantly transformed into something furious.

"I don't know what you're talking about Asano-san. You must have a fever."

As the two friends carried on with their squabble Ichigo leaned back on his seat, tucked his earphones back in his ears then stared at the streetposts outside his windowseat, completely ignoring all the noises of the very lively students inside the bus as he slowly drifted into a nap.

 _So it ends right here fellas! I'll post the next chapter soon enough, so tell me what you think and Review! /(^o^)/_


	2. Chapter 2: Ghosts

**On to the second chapter! This is a little longer than the first, so I hope you're satisfied if not overjoyed (;**

 **Disclaimer: Bleach is a property of Kubo Tite. I just borrowed his characters**

 **oOoOoOoOoOo**

It's a few hours before sundown when the grade reached the inn they would be staying at in Kyoto. Exhausted from the trip, the students filled out of the buses slowly with their belongings in tow while their respective class rep's. made count of their attendances then directing them to where the rest of the grade is.

Ichigo met up with Chad who just came out of the bus he was on, Keigo and Mizuiro followed a few steps behind him.

"Yo Chad!" Ichigo waved a hand as he came towards him.

"Ichigo" Chad responded as he put down his bag.

"Yo! Big guy! It's been a while!" Keigo greeted.

"Sado-san, forgive this guy for acting all very chummy with you. He's always obnoxious like this."

"Aww don't be jealous Mizuiro! I'll always be your best pal around!" He threw an arm around Mizuiro's neck.

"I never said I was your best pal to begin with."

"You're so mean!"

Chad acknowledged them with a nod and the four proceeded to gather up with the rest where Ishida Uryuu was making some preparations for some announcements.

As Orihime stepped out of the bus with Tatsuki following suit, she spun around, her hair whipping around in the air as she took in her surroundings with much vigor.

"The air feels so great Tatsuki-chan! Kyoto is so wonderful! I feel like I've been trapped in a dungeon for far too long!"

"You bet!" She agreed. "I'm just glad were finally here. We can finally take a rest." She yawned at the last remark.

"Oh I just remembered! I wonder where the others are," She looked around once again. "There they are! Let's join them Tatsuki-chan!" She started to run but was stopped short by her headstrong friend's firm grip on her arm.

"Orihime didn't I tell you on the bus? You shouldn't go around alone without me or any of our friends. Guys from other classes will take advantage of you and start hitting on you!" She carefully reminded her energetic friend.

Orihime just smiled back at her "I remember Tatsuki-chan! Now let's hurry before we miss out anything Ishida-kun announces." She dashed to the direction of their friends, pulling Tatsuki along with her.

"All right gather around everyone! I have a few announcements to make before we take a small tour to the inn we'll be staying at during the trip." Uryuu's voice resounded in the megaphone he was using and certainly upon hearing his authoritative voice the buzzing of the students stopped and the others hastened their pace towards the gathering of the grade. His authority was definitely not taken lightly nor treated a joke at all.

He talked about keeping silence, observing privacy and off-limits at the guys or girls rooms and curfew hours. After he laid down the house rules he proceeded to asking the students if they had questions regarding said rules.

"When do we get to find out about the bath time schedule for each class Mr. President?" One of the students asked.

"The schedule will be posted shortly at the lounge and everyone will be informed accordingly. Any other questions?"

"Oi Ishida! Don't you ever get a day-off?" A very familiar voice rang out from the back which sent the entire grade snickering at his odd questioning.

If Uryuu didn't know better, he could have hurled the megaphone straight in the perpetrator's face. But he sternly reminded himself to be civil at the moment, and resorted to glare at the grinning fool- Kurosaki.

He adjusted his glasses with his free hand. "If there are no other _intelligent_ questions, let us proceed to the inn for a very short tour of the place."

After the tour the students went into their assigned rooms to set their belongings and take a short rest. All sleeping quarters were on the second floor of the building, and the rooms of the guys and girls were placed strategically in opposite sides separated by a single hallway leading downstairs so whoever crosses to the other side of the building will be immediately spotted.

Everyone had dinner together that night at the huge dining hall at the ground floor where every table efficiently occupied each class. Orihime used this opportunity to hand over the cupcakes she saved for Chad and Uryuu, who in turn thanked her gratefully for her thoughtfulness… and exchanged identical troubled looks to each other.

After the festive and satisfying dinner each class took turns in using the bath. The male and female baths were situated at the back of the inn. It was actually two large hot springs founded on stone tiles, and the sides were adorned with ornamental plants. The two baths were separated from each other by a lofty thick wall of closely-knitted bamboo fences, as with the surrounding wall, making peeping impossible much to the guys' disappointment. The baths overlooked the vast evening sky filled with numerous stars.

Later that evening everybody went outdoors into the small woods behind the inn to have their little event organized by the student council and homeroom teachers.

"Test of Courage?" Ichigo asked Mizuiro as they looked for their female partners who held the same numbers as them.

"That's what it's called. The student council handpicked students from different classes to act as ghosts at every station."

"And do they really think we'd be scared out of our wits? This is kinda lame. I bet Ishida thought this all up."

"Well I think the real purpose of this activity is for everyone to have a great time."

"Oooi can you guys switch partners with me?" Keigo drawled as he joined the two.

"I should be the one complaining you idiot!" Tatsuki butted in, landing a fist behind Keigo's head and causing him to lurch forward. "Ichigo have you seen Orihime? I haven't seen her since we got out of our room."

"No." ' _Come to think of it I haven't seen her either!'_ He looked around to spy for a familiar head of auburn hair. "Maybe she's gone ahead as one of the first victims."

Well I can still feel her reiatsu from nearby so maybe you're right."

Then out of the blue the air grew thick and dense, accompanied by the very familiar dark reiatsu.

 _Hollows. Deep within the woods._

Ichigo didn't think even for a second that hollows would ever show up here in Kyoto, but then again they hardly ever do. Those things are like wild animals. Unpredictable. But Ichigo was prepared. Pulling out his shinigami badge from his back pocket he rammed it against his chest, rendering him in his shinigami form then tossed his human body to Mizuiro.

"Mizuiro, take care of my body 'till I get back!"

"Sure leave it to me."

"Seriously? There are hollows here? And… they're even in this very woods!" Keigo cried out in horror.

"Calm down you bonehead! They're just puny hollows anyways. Ichigo can handle them no problem." Tatsuki boldly stated.

"Ah." Ichigo sped through the woods. As he was running three figures came from his left and joined him.

"Inoue! Chad! Wait…" He eyed them intensely. "What the hell are you guys wearing?"

"Sado-kun and I are ghosts! And I am the witch of the west!" Orihime waved her bony broom in the air as if warding off spirits.

' _So that's why you've gone missing'._ Ichigo briefly wondered before he turned his full attention to the other guy in question. "What's up with that gnarly outfit? Are you a troll or something?"

"I'm playing Frankenstein."

"Aren't they works of perfection?" Uryuu said with pride as he pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose, the lense glinting under the moonlight.

"So _you're_ the one who made those silly costumes.." Ichigo said accusingly.

"They are not silly. They were made to match the person's personality and give the appropriate scare—"

"Yeah right I get it." Ichigo cut him off with a wave of a hand as they continued running. "Why're you even here? Don't you have other things to do?"

"Don't get strange ideas Kurosaki. The appearance of the hollows in this very woods endangers the safety of the students and threatens the success of the Test of Courage, so it is naturally my responsibility to eliminate such threat. Don't think I came here to lend you a hand."

"Yeah right. As if you ever ran out of excuses…" Ichigo sighed while Orihime just laughed and Chad gave him a thumbs up, as they hurried on when they reached a small clearing. Certainly the hollows were just hovering above them. Three of them, thrashing in the wind. A shadow of a smile crept on Ichigo's lips as he lunged forward towards the largest of the 3 ghastly beasts, brandishing Zangetsu against the thick white mask, shattering it in a single stroke. Orihime, Chad and Uryuu proceeded in dealing with the other two hollows. Fairies flying, blue reiatsu burning and glowing arrows raining, they finished the job as fast as they could manage. The hollows gave out a resounding roar before they disintegrated and vanished as swiftly as they came.

.

.

.

Ichigo walked in the woods _again_ but in his human form, irritated partly at the penetrating cold and partly at the incessant pulling of his shirt sleeve by his visibly shaking female partner. Before they began the _Test of Courage_ he kindly offered his arm to her so she'd feel less scared but it hardly did anything of the sort. He wouldn't have come to regret what he did if not for the vigorous tugging; she might as well just tear the fabric off.

Without warning, someone jumped out of the bushes and started scaring both of them which sent the girl into a screaming fit much to Ichigo's growing chagrin. But despite that and the ringing in his ears he opted to calm her down but as he made her face him the ghost just perfectly picked that time to throw a cobweb-looking prop around Ichigo's head and veiling him, making him look like an old-movie ghost. His partner instantly paled upon seeing his face made worse by his freakish scowl and she flailed from his hold then scurried back screaming like a deranged old lady to where they came from.

Ichigo on the other hand, hadn't bothered to remove the cobwebs from his face as he stood there staring stupidly at his partner's awkwardly retreating form.

"What the? What the hell just happened?"

The ghost pretending student could no longer hold back his laughter and he burst out, wiping tears off his face. "It looked like you were scarier than the actual ghost Kurosaki!" He laughed uncontrollably, falling on his knees. "You gotta take my place!"

"Shut up dammit! What am I supposed to do now I lost a partner? There's no way I'm going alone I'll look like a fool!"

"Like I said take my place!"

"That'll never happen! I'm outta here!" He threw the prop at the guy's face then stomped off to the direction his partner had fled to.

.

.

.

"That was otherworldly. I had a great time!" Mizuiro told his partner before they parted ways. He glanced around and found Ichigo sitting at a log and went up to him. "Ichigo you're back already. How was your time?"

"Not gonna talk about it." He answered dispassionately as he rested his chin on his hand. He thought back to his partner's friend who came up to him a while ago who kept bowing in apology for her friend's overboard behavior. He couldn't really blame her, after all, he always looked scary. She also told him her friend would rather die than go back to that horribly scary course. Not that Ichigo wanted to go back with her anyway.

Moments later they heard some boisterous laughter then Keigo emerged from the woods looking extremely tired and disheveled, with twigs on his head. His partner, Tatsuki, came after him clutching at her stomach. It was her laughing all along.

Mizuiro was the one to greet them. "Welcome back guys. Asano-san you look horrible. Did you somehow take a dive over a cliff?"

"I've-I've never laughed so hard at anyone for years!" Tatsuki said in between laughs. "Asano you're the worst scaredy pig ever!" She broke into another spasm of laughter.

"I can only imagine what happened."

"That course was insanely crazy!" Keigo blurted out pointing accusedly at the direction of the woods. "Why do those people look scarier than hollows? Even Inoue-san frightened me outta my pants! Sado was the worse! He even looked like the real thing!" He ranted on indignantly. "I was s'posed to be acting cool and-and they ruined everything!"

"I didn't expect… Orihime to be so good at scaring! This guy even stumbled back awkwardly and sat on something squishy it actually made a sound! That was disgustingly funny you know what!" The dark haired girl related in between chortles.

"Inoue-san and Sado-san really were frightening, but I think you're just more of a wimp Asano-saaaan!"

"Stop talking like that Mizuiro that's creepy!"

Listening to the trio's trivial exchange, Ichigo's foul mood began to dissipate. _'Who cared about going through that stupid course anyway?'_ He thought. Even if he did finish the so-called test of courage he wouldn't have made fun of the situation with a partner like that. He smiled at the thought.

"So tell me about that disgusting thing Keigo sat on.."

.

.

.

An hour after the Test of Courage concluded with a blast, most of the students were extremely wiped out and went straight to their respective rooms for a good night's rest. Since it was nearly curfew only a few students loitered in the halls and the lounge. Meanwhile Ichigo and Keigo, clad in their jackets, descended the stairs to get themselves something warm to drink to counter the surprisingly cold night air in Kyoto.

As they made a turn for the vending machine Ichigo caught sight of a familiar face.

"Inoue you're still up?"

Bending to retrieve the drinks she bought she looked up at the two guys approaching her then beamed. "Kurosaki-kun and Asano-kun! Great seeing you here! I was just getting drinks for Tatsuki-chan and myself. Did you guys come down here for that too?"

"Yes we do Inoue-san!" Keigo answered with matched enthusiasm. "By the way you scared the wits outta me back there! I didn't know you could actually scare people with that face of yours!"

"Really! I'm glad!" She scrunched her eyebrows then jutted her thumb up. "I have always dreamed of becoming a witch who would scare people while flying in my own bony broom at night!"

Ichigo watched the two exchange words about the night's previous activity and he couldn't help but notice that unlike the two of them guys snug in their own jackets, Orihime only wore a T-shirt and a pair of pajamas. He instictively scowled.

"Inoue aren't you cold in those clothes?"

Her chat instantly halted at Ichigo's remark. "Eh? N-not at all! Well… I forgot my own sweater upstairs but I'm fine!"

"In this cold? You shouldn't be careless" He shrugged off his jacket then handed it to Orihime who stubbornly pushes it back to him.

"Really, you shouldn't trouble yourself Kurosaki-kun! You'll catch a cold yourself!"

"What're you saying? You shouldn't push yourself too much." He draped his jacket across her shoulders effectively stilling her. "It'll be worse if you're the one who catches a cold."

Orihime kept her eyes glued to the floor as she fidgeted, hiding the pink that dusted her cheeks.

"Now doesn't that feel better?"

"Eh?" She was instantly snapped from her reverie. "Ye-yes! Thank you Kurosaki-kun…" She replied sheepishly, then suddenly blurted out "Oh! I gotta go back before Tatsuki's red tea gets cold! Good night Kurosaki-kun! Asano-kun!" She made for the stairs with drinks in both hands while keeping Ichigo's jacket in place with her fingers.

"Well then why don't we get ourselves something then head back." He scratched the back of his head as he made his way to the vending machine.

His boisterous brown-haired friend on the other hand who was silent the whole time as he watched the scene unfold in front of him, faced Ichigo and said in a serious note. "You've gotten pretty soft when it comes to Inoue-san."

Ichigo nearly dropped his drink at Keigo's rather uncharacteristic comment. "Wh-what? What're you talking about?"

"You were just," He made various hand gestures to express his thoughts "You were like a desperate suitor trying to win your lover's heart in one night!"

"That doesn't even make sense!"

"Eh? But, it doesn't change the fact that you go soft towards Inoue-san" He grinned as he gave him a thumbs up.

"…shut up." He murmured as he stalked past him towards the stairs. "I'm going ahead. It's near Ishida caught us that'd be annoying."

"W-wait! I still haven't gotten my drink yet!" He hurriedly picked out his own then dashed after Ichigo. Meanwhile Ichigo couldn't get his words out of his head. _'Bastard's said I've gotten soft… to Inoue of all people."_

' _What the hell does that mean?'_

… _...…_

 _Yay! Now tell me what you think! I had so much fun writing this chapter /(^o^)/_

 _Reviews are like ice cream to me! They are greatly enjoyed!_


	3. Chapter 3: Ghosts 2

**A/N: I'm extremely terribly sorry for this late update!**

 **I was having a blast with keeping up with my studies that I just virtually didn't have** _ **enough**_ **time to sit down, focus and write down chapter three. But I'm back so, no hard feelings okay ? *sweatdrops**

 **One good thing that happened while it took long for me to write down the next chapter is that new crazy ideas pop in my head, so I hope you'll like crazies! ^.^**

 **I'll give my thanks to Lady Kyra, lovesmoonpie15, Shion Amaterasu and Damaio The End for their really awesome reviews!**

 **Disclaimer: Bleach is not my property. It's Kubo's, who's just permanently signed out of twitter.**

* * *

The pale crescent moon hung high above in the cloudless sky, its luminescence bathing the land in its soft light. Only the shrill buzzing of the cicadas and the crickets pierced the deathly silence in the dead of night outside the Ryokan, just as the twelfth grade students of Karakura High drift into their own neverlands.

The halls of the inn and most of the rooms were dark, save for the areas such as the lounge and the dining hall, which were lit. All the students slept on the second floor of the building, in their yukatas dutifully provided for them by the Ryokan staff and tucked in their own futons, as it's the traditional Japanese way. Not a single soul lingered in the halls or the lounge. At least, not living ones.

It wasn't exactly quiet inside the students' rooms, especially in the men's quarters where loud sonorous sounds were coming from almost every room. But it wasn't the reason for someone's interrupted slumber.

Ichigo awoke with a jerk of his neck as he was mechanically kicked squarely at the chin by a loudly snoring Keigo, whose body was remarkably twisted in a weird angle and his head lying at the foot part of his futon, and his blanket somehow knotted itself around his torso. Now wide awake thanks to his vigorously sleeping friend, Ichigo cursed under his breath as he got up and retaliated by grabbing the free end of Keigo's blanket then pulled it off roughly from his body which sent the poor thing spinning in midair and landing on his back with a thud. Strangely, He didn't wake up at all, and his loud snoring restarted even louder that before.

' _You're one hell of a heavy sleeper'_ Ichigo thought annoyingly. He moved to the side of his futon and began dragging it away from Keigo's side so he could gain extra space from him just in case his flying arms and legs might reach his face the second time. He was lucky that his spot was near the window so he got enough space to move his bed. Well, lucky wasn't the exact term. The moment their class stepped into their own room Ichigo tossed his bag from the door across the room to land on the bed near the window to indicate that the spot already belonged to him. He then walked inside like a hotshot as the rest of his classmates stared at his back with stunned expressions. So basically he claimed the spot he was on without breaking a sweat.

He stood up and stretched his arms, his gaze swept through the various sleeping forms of his mostly snoring male classmates deep in their sleep but didn't quite rival that of Keigo's, as his snore was the loudest of them all, when at the corner of his eye he caught sight of something unusual from outside the window. He turned and faced the window fully then he peered into the dark spying for that thing he saw which was definitely not a nocturnal animal or anything, the pale light of the moon helped him see a little better as it filtered through the glass. There, a faint glow moving towards the left until it came a little closer and he could make out what it actually was until it vanished – more like passed through the wall. His eyes widened in alarm when he realized that the direction where the strange glow vanished into was the girls' quarters.

He paced around his bed, putting the pieces together in his head until he came up with the most possible conclusion: He was sure that the glowing thing he saw was a plus soul, and a sick depraved soul at that who decided to have some fun doing whatever depraved stuff it does to sleeping female students.

His brows knitted further at the sickening thought. How's he going to cross the off-limits line to the girls' quarters? And in the middle of the night if that's not weird enough? If there were someone who's awake just as he is and found him going to the girls' rooms he'd instantly be labeled as a pervert. And then he won't enjoy the rest of the school trip and heck, maybe the rest of his remaining days in high school. Unless…

He quickly grabbed his bag where he kept his Shinigami badge then slammed it against his chest, his human body flopped onto the futon on his stomach as he flash-stepped among the sleeping bodies then finally made it out into the dark and empty hallway. He finally reached the border of the male and female rooms and was about to step further when a very familiar voice came from behind him.

"And where do you think you're headed off to in your Shinigami form Kurosaki?"

Ichigo was startled that he nearly stumbled on his own feet. He spun around to see Ishida Uryuu in his own powder-blue yukata, his arms crossed and his stern gaze directed at him, unflinching.

"What the– what the hell are you doing here?" He blurted out the first though that crossed his mind.

"That question should be directed at yourself." Uryuu retorted as he advanced his steps.

"How the hell did you get here without making much of a noise? Last time I checked this hall was _completely_ empty!" Ichigo just couldn't get over the fact that Uryuu just snuck up on him and caught him off-guard.

"I was roused by some minor scuffling then I felt your reiatsu, if that satisfies your curiosity." He answered matter-of-factly.

' _Minor scuffling? Is he paranoid or what?'_ Ichigo briefly wondered as Uryuu continued.

"That matter aside, what makes you think I'll let you cross over to the girls' sleeping quarters?"

"You don't understand! There's a ghost in one of their rooms and I'm on my way to catch him if you didn't butt in!" Ichigo hollered back.

"I see. You've gone desperate that you even changed into a Shinigami just so you can sneak there unnoticed by ordinary people." The bespectacled guy said humorlessly.

"What the hell dammit! I'm not making this up! You should know bet—"

Uryuu tossed him something unceremoniously but Ichigo caught it in midair before it could hit his face. "What the…. keys?" He fixed his pinched gaze at Uryuu who's already turned on his back against him and then he grinned with understanding.

"Use that to minimize the noise of opening the door with your Zanpakuto. I must say that you've at least got your brain working properly by not jumping straight out the window to get there, then break the glass to the girls' room just to get in. It's not like you can just slip through walls, can you Kurosaki?." Uryuu stated as he started walking off, and just then Ichigo noticed that he was actually wearing cotton slippers.

"You didn't have to ridicule me idiot! Nice cotton slippers by the way!" He turned sharply on his heel then flash-stepped towards his destination, leaving Uryuu craning his neck to look back at his retreating form with an irritated frown on his face.

"Ishida was that Ichigo?" came a deep voice from in front of him.

Uryuu turned his head from looking over his back to find Chad walking towards him.

"Sado, you're up too?"

Chad responded with a nod. "He's headed for the girls' quarters. Did something happen?"

"Yes, I let him since it was an emergency. Something about catching a ghost sneaking around in a girls' room."

"Actually about that…" He gestured at his companion behind him, which Uryuu didn't notice before since he was totally hidden behind Chad's massive back. "…this person here knows about those guys. I met him earlier this evening and he was the one who woke me up."

Uryuu eyed the old man who was actually a ghost, evidenced by the severed chain of fate hanging on his chest, noting that the man was rather shy at showing himself fully from Chad's back when belatedly he registered his dark friend's words.

"Wait… did you say _'those'_?"

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Ichigo silently unlocked and opened the door, careful not to rouse any sleeping soul inside. When he stepped inside his eyes widened for a fraction of a second then it narrowed dangerously at the four—no _five_ ghosts hovering over the sleeping bodies like crazed dogs who found a piece of meat lying on the road. Even though they couldn't really touch or feel anything and their hands just slip through what they touched they still groped at the arms and legs that slipped out of the girls' yukata and blankets, grinning like absolute fools.

"And just _what_ in the damning hell do you think you're doing?" Ichigo growled with contempt.

The five specters flinched then froze at his menacing growl and it was apparent that they never noticed Ichigo when he entered the room until he made his presence known. He mentally berated himself for calling unnecessary attention to his own, knowing very well that they'd scamper away to different directions the moment they recover from their shock.

That's why he was extremely pissed off when they resumed with their business like nothing happened that he roughly seized the nearest ghost by the rope hanging around his neck towards him.

"You've got nerve to ignore me bastard! Didn't you hear me?" He hollered at his face.

The tall, skinny guy with bushy eyebrows frantically waved his lanky arms in response. "O-o-o-oi chill man! No need to get mad! J-just because we brushed you off doesn't mean we won't let you in on the fun!"

" _What_?" Ichigo's eyes narrowed into slits.

"Yeah you can come join us." Said the fat one happily who was wearing round glasses, and was staring intently and smiling lecherously at the exposed bra strap of one of the girls. "There's not much fun around here so it's a great thing there're plenty of girls around now."

"If you're jealous," chimed in another fat ghost, but he wasn't wearing any glasses, just got blood right at the side of his face down to his shoulder. "..then stop being shitty and get your sorry ass here you cosplaying freak!" He groped at another girl's exposed thigh.

" _Cosplay?"_ Ichigo grabbed his humongous sword from his back as the bandaging unfurled on its own, then swiftly brought the tip of the sword's hilt down on the captive ghost's forehead _hard,_ causing him to disappear into a black hole with a horrified shriek. The rest of them witnessed the whole thing and they instantly stopped and gawked at Ichigo with newfound shock and fear.

"J-j-just what kind of cosplayer _are_ you?" spluttered the fat one with round glasses.

Ichigo regarded him with a ticked off grin, a vein pulsing at the side of his head.

"Say that again and I'll knock your teeth off your mouth you bastard!And stop harassing our students here!" He lunged at him in a blink of an eye and did what he'd done to the previous specter before the poor guy could even react.

"Aaaaagh! I'm gonna die!" He cried out.

"You're already dead for crying out loud!" Ichigo shot back. "I'm just sending you where you oughtta belong!" while the ghost got swallowed by the black hole gate he turned his attention towards the other fat dude who tried to scramble away from him but was instantly caught by the elbow then suffered the same fate as his two other specter friends.

Ichigo then spotted his fourth victim trying to slip through the window. He instantly appeared behind him then took hold of his ghostly tail and pulled him out harshly before smacking him in the head. On closer look the man looked near his forties, with dark skin and he was balding too. _'Sick old man'_

Before Ichigo decided on performing _konso_ on him he asked where the last ghost disappeared.

He spoke with a frightened and raspy voice. "I-if I tell you, you won't do what you did to the others… on me?" He hesitantly asked, looking at the side hopelessly avoiding Ichigo's contorted face.

"If you tell me then you'd be in less pain than the others had been!" He growled.

"Okay, okay!" He shrieked in fear. "H-he slipped through that wall there!" He pointed towards the left wall of the room.

"You're not lying?" He cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Yes! Yes! I swear !"

Ichigo let go of his collar then stomped the hilt's tip on his forehead a tad bit less roughly than the other three.

"Just what kinda cosplayer sends dead people to hell?" He cried out indignantly as his limbs got dragged down by the mysterious black hole.

"Will you cut it out with the cosplay-crap already? " He snapped. "I'm Kurosaki Ichigo and I'm a Shinigami!"

"Shi-shinigami?"

"Ah. And like your friends, you're also headed for Soul Society."

The space shut itself completely then Ichigo left the room in a rush to find the last ghost. He looked at the next room but didn't find him there. He'd already checked three rooms but found nothing otherwise.

"Ichigo! Did you catch all the ghosts?"

Ichigo paused then turned around to find a running barefooted Chad with Uryuu beside him.

"Chad! You're up too? What's going on?"

Just tell us how many ghosts you've captured!" Uryuu cut him off as they came to a stop in front of him.

Seeing how desperate they were for answers, he recounted the events that happened and told them of the four ghosts he sent to Soul Society so far.

"…and there's one more on the loose. I haven't got a close look at how he actually looked like but I'm pretty sure he's the last one."

"Tha-that's Yuma." A frail old man's voice came from behind Chad. "He's the most ill-behaved and maddening one of the five buffoons."

"Who's the new guy?" Ichigo asked.

"It's alright, you can come out. Ichigo's our friend" Chad assured the old man. "Ichigo, this is old man Jin, and he's stayed here for long now and knows a lot about those rowdy plus souls."

The old man moved beside Chad and feebly nodded his head. "That Yuma… he can actually lift lightweight objects such as women's skirts and flip them! He's the one who rounded up that depraved gang and he's the reason why I can't leave this place!" He said with disgust. "You see, I owned this Ryokan from way before, until I died and got buried over that mountain there. Oh by the way! Have you see—"

"All right I get it!" Ichigo interrupted him before his old man's story got out of hand. "If I catch this ghost, you can peacefully leave this place?"

"Un. That's correct. Say, you're quite a—"

"So it's settled then." Then out of the blue a terrified scream broke out from one of the rooms.

"Shit! That's probably the ghost over there! Let's go!" He started running but stopped short when he realized his friends weren't following him. He turned around to see them scurrying to the opposite direction. "Oi where're you guys going?"

"We can't allow ourselves to be seen around here after all." Ishida stated as he adjusted his glasses.

"Mh. Good luck Ichigo." Chad then jutted his thumb up for him as they sped off out of sight with the old ghost in tow.

"Some friends you call yourselves!"

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When Ichigo reached the room where the scream came from, he found most of the girls already up and awake, trying to calm their friend who was sobbing uncontrollably. He realized then that it was his class as he saw Tatsuki comforting their classmate. She craned her head towards him and looked at him in shock, at the same time giving a look that meant 'What are you doing here?'

"I-I saw a f-floating underwear! I swear!" The girl said in between sobs.

"Calm down Yuri-chan. I'm sure it was just a play of the light." Her friend consoled

"It's fine! You don't need to worry a thing! " Tatsuki told her.

Ichigo then scanned the whole room, thankful that Tatsuki didn't exclaim his name when she saw him, and found no ghost in sight. _But wait!_ Right in the corner of the room where there was one female classmate sleeping soundly, whom he instantly recognized thanks to her long tawny hair sprawled on the sheets, oblivious to the obvious commotion going on, was a head jutting out of the wall just right above her.

"Such nice, b _ig, assets_ you have there. Might want a touch though I won't really feel their softness.." He smiled lewdly and tried to reach down when Ichigo hollered at the top of his lungs.

"Don't you _dare_ touch _her_ with those filthy hands!" In a split second he was in front of him, yanking his extended arm out then in his rage he kicked him hard in the face, sending him against the window where he just passed through. "Shit!" He momentarily forgot that that guy was a plus soul, so he could slip through the wall. He diverted his attention towards Orihime who was still sleeping soundly, giggling in her sleep. He relaxed at seeing she didn't get harmed in any way.

Tatsuki, who was now standing up and staring at him with wide eyes, came towards him.

"Who—what was that?"

"Arisawa-san, are you talking to anyone?" One of the females asked, looking at Tatsuki who seemed like talking to the air in front of her. But she didn't seem to hear her.

"Take care of Inoue. I've got a bastard ghost to hunt down." He opened the window which sent the girls in a gasp then he jumped out of it, leaving Tatsuki to explain how the window opened by itself to quell the girls' growing fear. He was pretty sure the teachers would come rushing to their room since everything got out of hand.

He searched every nook and cranny of the whole Ryokan—the gardens, the baths, even the staff's quarters, but he didn't find even just the shadow of the ghost. He then found old man Jin at the side of the building and asked him where the bastard could be hiding.

"Ah, unfortunately he does that every time, but I never discovered his hideout. Well, you should take a rest my boy, and just try again the next night." He told him.

"But we don't know when he'll harass anyone again! He'll—"

"Ojii-san is right Kurosaki. We don't have much of a clue and the only way we'd capture him is to get him red-handed." Uryuu offered as he leaned on the window. "You go back to your room for now and wait for the next night to come."

Ichigo hated to admit it but they were right. They didn't have a clue and would just waste their time going for a wild goose chase. _'That bastard almost got Inoue!'_ he gritted his teeth in anger and let out a huff.

"Alright. I'll go back for now. Tomorrow when I see that asshole he's toast!" He declared with resolve.

"That's better." Uryuu said as he went inside and closed the window, and Ichigo left to go back to his room so he could hopefully get back to sleep.

The moon still hung above the sky, and the stillness of the night resumed as everyone went back to sleep. Who knows what extraordinary things await them in the morning, but right now, they preferred to just drown in their dreams.

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 _Done! Hope you like my peace offering! Please review! Add crazy ideas! I might add them in the next chapters /(^.^) /_


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